Governor Al-Zaz – God – Laayoune ///
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The Spanish newspaper “Marca” talked about the final of the African Cup of Nations between the Moroccan national team and its Senegalese counterpart, and the unfortunate events that accompanied it, which presented a negative image of African football.
“Marca” described the events during the match as “the biggest disgrace in modern football history,” an “unprecedented event” and “22 minutes of absolute shame.”
“Marca” said that the 92nd minute witnessed the cancellation of a goal for Senegal due to a “simple mistake” by Achraf Hakimi, acknowledging that there was contact and a mistake in favor of Achraf Hakimi.
“Marca” indicated that between minutes 95-98 and during these eight minutes of stoppage time, there was a penalty kick for Morocco after taking a corner kick, as Ibrahim Diaz was subjected to an obstruction that it described as “slight” by Diouf inside the penalty area, which was awarded by Congolese referee Jean-Jacques N’Gambo Ndala, describing his performance as very bad.
“Marca” described the behavior of Senegal coach Pape Thiao as “disgraceful” when he asked the players to withdraw from the match in the 98th minute, considering the player deserving of punishment, while striker Sadio Mane remained on the field because he knew of the withdrawal penalty, which could exclude him even from the 2026 World Cup, as he convinced his teammates to return to the field after 15 minutes.
“Marca” recalled the Senegal fans’ riot in the stands and the assault on the police using sticks and chairs, describing the scene as “unfortunate,” while Ibrahim Diaz missed the penalty kick after trying to shoot it in the “Panenka” style. Guy scored the winning goal for Senegal in the 93rd minute.
Macca touched on the verbal altercations after the match and the tension in the press area, where the Senegal coach did not hold a press conference, after a quarrel between journalists from the two countries immediately after he entered the hall, and he was subjected to shouts of boos from the Moroccan press before leaving the place.
“Marca” concluded by saying: “And thus ended the shameful African Cup final that crowned this country for the second time in its history, and both times the great Sadio Mane was at the head of the team.”
